Top 70 David Harewood Quotes

Everybody can, you know, go online, read about something, and have an opinion about something.

On the red carpet, one tip is to suck in your cheekbones – apparently it looks better on camera. I don’t know, though; I think a nice smile is best.

I try to ensure my daughters are not spoilt. They are very aware of how lucky they are and appreciate it. We have had some lean years, so they know it’s not all about luxury, travel, and hotels. They are grounded, and I’m grateful for that.

For all its problems, I found South Africa a beautiful country, interesting and inspiring.

If people of colour do not exercise their democratic right to vote, they will remain an invisible, voiceless, and largely ignored part of the electorate.

Back in 2005, the Anthony Nolan Trust could have asked me just to speak out about the lack of ethnic minority donors on the bone marrow register, but that would have meant nothing if I wasn’t prepared to join up myself.

Two years after drama school, I had a nervous breakdown: I heard voices, and the voice I heard in my head was Martin Luther King’s.

I’m very fortunate. I loved school and, when I went there, race, gangs and violence were not issues. There was a feeling, gone now, that you had to be presentable. If you hadn’t combed your hair, older black ladies – complete strangers – would come up to you in the street and pull out a comb and straighten your tie.

When I first played Othello, a reviewer absolutely slaughtered me.

British people are surprised that I’m British! It’s extraordinary, I get tweets every day from British people saying, ‘I had no idea you were British.’

When my agent told me I had an audition for ‘Friar Tuck,’ I burst out laughing. It actually brought a bit of sunshine to my day. I was thinking: fat suit. I was thinking: shaving my head. It was so outlandish, such a crazy idea.

We have a generation of black actors playing leading roles on film and TV – Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor – which is great and is breaking the mould.

I loathe the word ‘celebrity,’ and I hope I’m not a diva. Whenever I see diva-ish behaviour, I just leave the room; I find it appalling. You should always try to be civil to people.

Myself, I believe that black theatre continues to evolve, and the success of writers like Bola Agbaje and Rachel De-lahay is proof that fresh voices continue to emerge.

We live in a world of strange priorities, where Kim Kardashian buying a Lamborghini creates international headlines, but children in Niger suffering from drought and children in Britain suffering from leukaemia go unnoticed.

American television, for all its faults, still has a black presence in shows and even in commercials. You’ll see black people in automobile ads, black women starring on their own television shows. We don’t see that on British television.

Without a doubt, the majority of historical period dramas tend to be told from a certain perspective. At least in America, black people have some visibility in period dramas, although it’s usually in the form of slaves or servitude.

When filming for ‘Beowulf,’ we were close to Hadrian’s Wall; there was no phone signal, and the scenery was spectacular.

I hope my kids can experience the seasons and a climate that’s sustainable. The idea that things are going to be so very different for them is slightly scary.

There was the ‘Cosby Show’ in America in the 1980s, which was a doctor in a beautiful Brownstone middle-class house. We just haven’t created a role like that in the U.K.; it’s always gangs and crime. We need to be brave.

I remember when I first came to Los Angeles being staggered by the range of roles open to me. These were leading parts in shiny new projects, and what always excited me was knowing there was a possibility that I could actually get these parts. I always had the impression that I had a chance.

The idea that American producers and directors are choosing black British talent to save themselves a buck or two is ridiculous – it’s because we’re damn good.

Fatherhood is a joy. I feel very lucky to have a family. It gives you a perspective on things.

I’d love to talk with Martin Luther King, just to hear his voice up close and be with someone who had such faith. He had such power.

There are structural problems within the industry that are preventing us from displaying aspirational black roles.

For the charities, their relationships with celebrity supporters should be as deep and purposeful as the ones they have with any of their supporters and volunteers, based on a genuine understanding of the issues they’re tackling.

You don’t just win an Oscar because you’re a great actor. You campaign for that Oscar: you engage with it; you go on the David Letterman show, and you do the interviews, and that’s how you get out there.

It would be extraordinary if the BBC were to make me the first black ‘Doctor Who;’ it would be extraordinary.

At school, I was the classroom clown – I was always being thrown out for being naughty. Before I left, a teacher called me in and suggested I became an actor.

I loved working with Mandy Patinkin, I have to say.

When I was sent the script for ‘Homeland,’ I didn’t think anything of it. Three months later, my manager rang and said: ‘They are interested in you.’ I read it and I realised, ‘Yes, I do want this.’ Then I got an email saying I’d got it.

The idea that people are watching me now is a bit unnerving, but I suppose it comes with the territory. It is, perhaps, the modern side of celebrity.

I grew up in an environment in Birmingham that was really multicultural, with black kids, Irish kids, Indian kids.

I do enjoy acting, but it is such a game. So for that reason, I don’t think I’ll ever leave London.

You have to have a certain single-mindedness if you want to reach the top of the profession, and I’m not sure if I’ve got that cold-eyed egomania that perhaps is needed to get to the top. So as long as I can keep paying the mortgage and keep myself interested, I’ll be happy.

When there is enough food to feed everyone, why are 870 million people going hungry? We must learn to share what we have; no one race or nation has a greater right to life than another.

Before recording my ‘Homeland’ audition on my iPhone in my bedroom in Streatham, I hadn’t worked or had an audition in the U.K. for nine months.

If people see that I’m fully committed to my chosen charities and fully engaged in their issues, maybe they’ll click a link to find out more.

You always want to look your best at events like the Globes, Emmys, or Oscars. It’s a part of the business that I am not particularly comfortable with. I would prefer to turn up in a pair of jeans and an old shirt, but it’s all about image – the studio wants you to look your best.

People come up and say very nice things about my work, like, ‘You were great in ‘Blood Diamond!’

As an ambassador for the aid agency Cafod and the Anthony Nolan Trust, I need to be sure that my public support for those charities is a help for their work, not a hindrance.

On ‘Supergirl,’ there are huge characters with huge mythologies behind them. What’s important is that you don’t lock yourself into something.

As an actor, whether I’m playing Othello on stage or David Estes on ‘Homeland,’ that ability to give into your imagination is something that I enjoy.

It’s pretty hard to stand in the queue auditioning to play a gynaecologist on ‘Holby City’ when you’ve just played Mandela. You think, ‘Actually, I want to challenge myself.’

To be on set with Tom Hiddlestone and Hugh Laurie is just fantastic. But during ‘Homeland,’ I was on set with Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, so I’m used to working with big hitters.

’12 Angry Men’ has a truly great collection of actors giving fantastic performances. It’s an acting masterclass.

Everyone in America thinks I’m American – and everyone in England seems to think I’m American.

Before ‘Homeland,’ I had £80 in the bank and no idea what I was going to do. I seriously considered giving it all up and getting a job as a lorry driver.

Support for charities takes many forms. Some people give their money, some their spare time. I give my name and my voice. We give what we can to make a difference to the people and issues that matter to us. But what’s most important, especially for celebrities, is giving our genuine commitment.

I can only appreciate the kind of work that goes into being a top drag queen. Ru Paul looks just astonishing as a woman. And he’s got this fantastic turn of phrase. I find him hilarious.

I grew up in Birmingham, but my parents are originally from Barbados. My dad, Romeo, was a long-distance lorry driver, and my mother, Mayleen, worked in catering.

I’ve been on ‘Mastermind’ – I tied for first place and then lost on the number of passes. My subject was the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman. If I did it again, I’d choose Shakespearian tragedies.

Birmingham people are the salt of the earth, and I’ve carried that with me all around the world. People respond to a certain down-to-earthness that I have, and that’s purely as a result of coming from Birmingham.

Everyone wants to be James Bond, and there’s a queue of guys ahead of me – but I will throw my hat into the ring. Bond is such an iconic role, you would have to seriously think how to approach it.